The federal government of the United States, according to many critics in our country, has taken sides in a battle within Kenya to change its constitution and devolve power away from the presidency in that nation. There is near universal agreement that in the 47 years since Kenya gained independence, the nation has been plagued with corruption and election — like the 2007 election — have been marred with violence. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people were murdered in that election.

U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Roos will attend the city of Hiroshima’s annual ceremony memorializing the 1945 atomic bombing of the city on August 6 — the first time a U.S. official has attended the commemoration. Bloomberg News quoted State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley, who said in Washington on August 3: “At this particular point, we thought it was the right thing to do.” Crowley added that the presence of Roos will “express respect for all of the victims of World War II.”

After a series of reports brought the issue into the spotlight in recent years, allegations of involvement in drug trafficking by the regime of socialist Venezuelan “President” Hugo Chavez are making headlines once again.

The vast and bloated leviathan of government seems to be finding itself beached all over the world. California is virtually facing a budgetary meltdown, since its deficit is simply too great for Californians to pay. Greece is rocking on the shoals of national bankruptcy, as are other Mediterranean nations like Italy and Spain. Now France is facing warnings from the International Monetary Fund that reducing France’s national deficit to four percent of GDP, instead of to three percent of GDP as recommended by the IMF, will jeopardize the financial stability of not only France but also of Europe.